Image data sorting device and image data sorting method

Abstract

The image data sorting device is configured with a characteristic value extraction unit that extracts from an image data piece a characteristic value of the image data piece; a relation evaluation unit that evaluates a mutual relation between the characteristic values extracted from plural image data pieces; a clustering unit that executes clustering to events expressed by the characteristic values of the plural image data pieces on the basis of the evaluation result of the above relation; and a sorting register unit that sorts the plural image data pieces on the basis of the result of the above clustering. The image data sorting device with the above configuration can provide a user with facility of use, whereby the appropriateness of the sorting can be secured without requiring any preprocessing, etc., and automatic sorting of the image data pieces can be carried out independently of the types of the image data pieces.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to an image data sorting device and a method of the same that sort image data pieces, especially, digital data pieces of static color images.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Many database servers and file servers having a function to store image data pieces achieve efficiency in the management and retrieval of the image data pieces, etc., by sorting the image data pieces into several groups.[0005]In the conventional major method of sorting image data pieces, cord information such as a key word is added to each of the image data pieces. This is because the addition of cord information exceedingly facilitates the management and the retrieval of the image data pieces by using the cord information as the key. However, in the addition of the cord information to the image data pieces, grouping and storing the image data pieces, or retrieving and fetching the image data pieces requires...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the foregoing circumstances, and provides an image data sorting device and the method of the same that secures the appropriateness of the range (grouping) of the sorting items in the sorting of the image data pieces, without needing the preparatory processing and the maintenance work, etc., and executes the sorting regardless of the types of the image data pieces (document image data pieces, natural image data pieces, etc.).

Problems solved by technology

However, in the addition of the cord information to the image data pieces, grouping and storing the image data pieces, or retrieving and fetching the image data pieces requires inputting the cord information through a keyboard or the like that necessarily accompanies considerable labor, which is a disadvantage.

However, there is a possibility of causing the following problems in the conventional image data sorting methods mentioned above.

Hei 7-160844, since sorting is executed based on whether or not the image data pieces belong to the sorting (grouping) items that have already existed, if the range of the sorting items that have already existed is not appropriate, preferable sorting will not be executed, leading to a possible result that sorting of the image data pieces is inappropriate.

However, this sorting method executes sorting on the basis of the characteristics of character types processed by the character recognition processing, etc., and the method cannot sort natural image data pieces and the like where characters do not exist, accordingly.

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